Thursday, February 28, 2019

Greetings my darling readers, I know I’ve been remiss
in providing you reviews of good reads this past year and I apologize. Life has
a hold on me which does not allow me much reading time. I have tried to make up
for that in publishing my own good reads for you and I hope you’ve given them a
try. So to make up for my neglect, I will be offering up guest reviews for you
enjoy. I hope to be back reviewing for you soon but in the meantime, I hope you’ll
enjoy my dear friend, Connie Fischer’s reviews to guide you to good reads.
Enjoy and Happy Reading!

I present to you a guest review of MISS COMPTON’S CHRISTMAS
ROMANCE by Sophie Barnes, published December 18, 2018.

Blurb for MISS COMPTON’S CHRISTMAS ROMANCE:

Sometimes playing pretend can lead to the perfect romance…

When Miss Leonora Compton decides to go to Sheffield and spend Christmas
with her sister, she finds herself travelling with a man she cannot afford to
like. But as their journey progresses she enters an unexpected partnership with
him and realizes that things aren't what they seem. Because Mr. Dalton is not
only tempting. He may in fact be precisely what she needs.

When Philip believes his travel companion requires protection, he
immediately steps in to help by pretending to be her husband. For although the
last thing he wants is to form an attachment, Philip is irrevocably drawn to
the stunning red-head. And as they become better acquainted and their paths
increasingly intertwined, he must decide if risking heartache again is worth
the chance of finding true love.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Connie’s
Review:

London

Miss Leonora Compton, age 24, knows she will probably never
marry so her father has agreed to let her use her dowry to open a shop. Her
friend, Kathy, daughter of a local merchant, has come to work for her.
Together, they raise vegetables, fruits, and flowers in the hothouse attached
to their store.

Leonora’s younger sister is married to a viscount and she is
going to visit her for two weeks at Christmas at their home in Yorkshire. Even
though she feels she should stay in London to help run the shop, Kathy insists
that she go visit her sister and her new baby. But before she departs for
Yorkshire, a man comes into the shop saying that he won her building from her
landlord in a card game and is now going to charge an enormous amount of money
for rent.

Leonora has bravely decided to travel alone on public
transport. A handsome man named Philip Dalton helps stow her valise in the
carriage. When another male passenger tries to make a pass at her, Philip says
she is his wife. As they continue their journey, Leonora learns that Philip is
a widower and owner of several large shops in London. Along the way, they learn
more about one another and enjoy their time together.

When they reach their destination, they are both surprised to
find that Philip is a good friend of Leonora’s sister and he has also been
invited to their home for Christmas. Oh my! What a stroke of luck for both of
them. Their time together is fun and her sister and husband seem to want them
to spend time together.

I enjoyed this novella and the characters of Leonora and
Philip. They were written to be perfect for one another. This is a very clever
story and I know readers will love it. I’m a huge fan of Sophie Barnes and she
never fails to write a great story!

Delilah Swanpoole,
Countess of Derring, learns the hard way that her husband, “Dear Dull Derring,”
is a lot more interesting—and perfidious—dead than alive. It’s a devil of an
inheritance, but in the grand ruins of the one building Derring left her, are
the seeds of her liberation. And she vows never again to place
herself at the mercy of a man.

But battle-hardened
Captain Tristan Hardy is nothing if not merciless. When the charismatic naval
hero tracks a notorious smuggler to a London boarding house known as the
Rogue’s Palace, seducing the beautiful, blue-blooded proprietress to get his
man seems like a small sacrifice.

They both believe love
is a myth. But a desire beyond reason threatens to destroy the armor around
their hearts. Now a shattering decision looms: Will Tristan betray his own code
of honor…or choose a love that might be the truest thing he’s ever known?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Excerpt:

She’d taken two steps when he said, his voice
raised only a little, “Lady Derring . . . something puzzles me.”

She halted.

Closed her eyes.

Took a shuddering breath for courage.

Turned back to him. From the relatively safe
distance of three feet, she said, “Surely not. We’ve established you know
everything.”

His smile was small and patient. “You seem to
excel at so very much here at The Grand Palace on the Thames. Yet you can’t
seem to disguise how much you want me.”

About
the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne
Long originally set out to be a rock star when she grew up (and she has
the guitars and fringed clothing stuffed in the back of her closet to prove
it), but writing was always her first love. Since hanging up her guitar for the
computer keyboard, her books frequently top reader and critic polls and have
been nominated for numerous awards, including the Rita, Romantic Times Reviewer’s
Choice, and The Quills, and reviewers have been known to use words like
“dazzling,” “brilliant,” and “impossible to put down” when describing them.
Julie lives in Northern California.

“With Lady Derring Takes a
Lover, the first in an exhilarating new series, the author’s literary
prowess is in glorious full bloom with an engaging cast of exquisitely rendered
characters, a deftly constructed plot that validates the power of hope and
love, and inexhaustible measures of dazzling wit. “

Monday, February 25, 2019

Greetings my darling readers, I know I’ve been remiss
in providing you reviews of good reads this past year and I apologize. Life has
a hold on me which does not allow me much reading time. I have tried to make up
for that in publishing my own good reads for you and I hope you’ve given them a
try. So to make up for my neglect, I will be offering up guest reviews for you
enjoy. I hope to be back reviewing for you soon but in the meantime, I hope you’ll
enjoy my dear friend, Connie Fischer’s reviews to guide you to good reads.
Enjoy and Happy Reading!

I present to you a guest review of WHEN LOVE LEADS TO
SCANDAL, a Townsbridges novel by Sophie Barnes, published February 19, 2019.

Blurb for WHEN LOVE LEADS TO SCANDAL:

Two people fated to be together…

Recently engaged to the Earl of Langdon, Lady Bethany is content with
the knowledge that she’s made a wonderful match for herself. Until a chance
encounter with a handsome stranger makes her wish she was still unattached – a
sentiment that grows even stronger when circumstance causes her to spend more
time in this gentleman’s company.

And the duty that threatens to come between them…

Charles Townsbridge is not prepared to learn that the mystery woman he
met in the park, the very same woman he cannot get out of his head, is in fact
his best friend’s fiancée. Determined to do the right thing, he tasks himself
with quashing the attraction, only to discover that the heart cannot be so
easily controlled.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Connie’s
Review:

London - 1820

Charles Townsbridge, age 26, son and heir of Viscount Roxley,
enjoys taking a morning walk in the park. This morning, he hears a young woman
calling for help to keep her bonnet from being blown into the lake. Charles
grabs the bonnet and helps her and her chaperone to a bench to rest. He then
excuses himself and heads home for breakfast. His is a close family consisting
of his parents, two sisters, Athena and Sarah, and two younger brothers, James
and William.

Lady Bethany Andrews is the daughter of an earl and is
engaged to Robert, the Earl of Langdon. She became betrothed before she had
been presented to society. Bethany had enjoyed briefly meeting Charles and was
surprised to see him again that evening at a soiree. There, she discovers that
Charles is the best friend of her fiancé, Robert. Robert is eager to talk with
others about business deals and asks Charles to dance with and entertain
Bethany. This irritates her as she feels he is treating her like a child.
Charles is taken aback at Robert’s actions because he feels his friend should
be spending time with his lovely fiancé. Bethany enjoys making architectural
drawings which is quite unusual for a young woman but Robert disapproves saying
she should be playing the piano instead, again irritating her.

Charles is invited to the Langdon estate for a two-week house
party leading up to the wedding of Robert and Bethany. While at the party,
Robert again ignores Bethany asking Charles to entertain her. Both of them are
angry at Robert once again. Is there hope for a successful and happy marriage
between Robert and Bethany?

Once again, Sophie Barnes has written a sweet romance that
really shows what love is. Robert is a clueless clod who needs to change his
priorities before he ends up a loser in life. Charles is the perfect hero that
makes one sigh. I like Bethany because she is a smart, curious, and
down-to-earth person. Great start to a new series. Cannot wait to read more.

Friday, February 22, 2019

Greetings my darling readers, I know I’ve been remiss in providing you reviews of good reads this past year and I apologize. Life has
a hold on me which does not allow me much reading time. I have tried to make up
for that in publishing my own good reads for you and I hope you’ve given them a
try. So to make up for my neglect, I will be offering up guest reviews for you
enjoy. I hope to be back reviewing for you soon but in the meantime, I hope you’ll
enjoy my dear friend, Connie Fischer’s reviews to guide you to good reads.
Enjoy and Happy Reading!

I present to you a guest review of a novella in the Playful Brides
series by Valerie Bowman – MR HUNT, I PRESUME, published February 8, 2019.

Blurb for Mr Hunt, I Presume:

He never forgot her…

When General Collin Hunt
is ordered to take a much-needed holiday, he resigns himself to rest and
recreation at his brother’s country estate. But when the only woman he ever
loved—and selflessly gave up—shows up as his sister-in-law’s governess, his
carefully ordered life is turned inside out.

She’ll never forgive him…

When Erienne Stone
defied her family and fled her life of privilege, she never expected to be
reunited with the man who’d abandoned her more than a decade before. But Lucy,
Duchess of Claringdon, is a hard woman to say no to, even when Erienne’s heart
is in danger of breaking all over again.

A meddling matchmaker may be the key to their second chance…

After a decade of pain
and heartache, can two star-crossed lovers trust the truth in their own hearts?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Connie’s
Review:

London - 1824

Lucy Hunt is married to Derek, the Duke of Claringdon, and is
going through applications sent from Mrs. Griggs employment office, searching
for a governess for their children, Ralph, 2, and Mary, 3. One applicant is
Miss Erienne Stone, age 32. Derek remembers her name from when he and his
family lived in Brighton. He tells Lucy that she was the daughter of a knight,
Sir Robert Stone. In fact, Derek’s brother, Collin, age 35, had once courted
the woman. Today, Collin is a confirmed bachelor. However, he admitted once
that he never married because there is only one woman he ever loved.

When Lucy interviews Erienne, she is very pleased with her
qualifications, and hires her. Lucy loves to be a matchmaker which is how they
lost their previous governess.

Collin works tirelessly for the government, so his boss tells
him to take some time off as he has been working too hard. So, he decides to
visit Derek and Lucy and see his niece and nephew.

When Collin and Erienne see one another again, it is
difficult for both of them because they are both nursing hurt from
miscommunication in the past. Is there a chance that their relationship can be
renewed?

This is a nice little romance but a bit predictable. This is
an example of when a novella should be a full length book.

After in indulging in too much
champagne and a one-night stand in Vegas with a very sexy man, Abby Matheson prays
what happened there stays there. Only she can’t get the incredibly passionate
night with the amazing man out of her head.

Mitch Braxton can’t forget the
incredible woman he spent a passionate night with only to find her gone in the
morning having left no note behind—only her crystal heart pendant. Unable to
even recall her name, he fears he will never see her again.

When it doesn’t stay
in Vegas…

When Abby discovers her mystery
man is the CEO of a company her boss is determined to take over, she must
forget the man as well as that night. Her hope is no one finds out about Vegas because
the merger and her job are now on the line. Discovering Mitch at his sister’s
wedding is the last thing she expects and even as she tries to keep her
distance, she wants him even more. Is it once more just lust or is there
wedding magic in the air? And will she lose her heart as well as her career?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Excerpt:

The cocktail lounge was subtly lit with luminary lights on
the tables set up around a brightly lit circular bar. There was a low hum of
conversation blending with the low volume music playing through speakers strategically
set around the space. When a sudden burst of feminine laughter floated across
the room and he heard his little sister’s all too familiar snort, he knew
Caroline and her wedding party were just on the other side of the bar. He
smiled, suddenly eager to see his kid sister and for the first time since he
embarked on this trip, he was truly excited for her.

As they rounded the bar, he heard more than saw his sister.
She squealed and came running toward him, threw her arms around his shoulders
and hugged him so hard he thought if he died in that exact moment, he’d die very
happy. Even though she wasn’t a blood sister, he loved her as if she were. A
little girl of ten years old to his fifteen when his mother married John
Stephens, they had taken to each other as if they’d always been siblings. She
was his little sister always, and forever.

“Digger, I’m so happy you’re here. I just couldn’t imagine
getting married without my big brother.” Caroline hugged him again, squeezing
him so hard he coughed. “Oh my, you must be Elise.” He heard her say through a
haze caused by lack of oxygen, and then his lungs expanded hard when she
released him, only to hear a loud humph
of air expelled from Elise’s chest when his sister squeezed her just as hard.
“I’m so glad you’re both here.”

Then she wrapped her arms around both of them and pulled
them in close. “I know all about what’s really going on and my lips are sealed.
I just want you both to have a good time.”

“Thanks, kitten face, I appreciate it,” he whispered before
giving her another hug. “By the way, where are my mom and John?”

“I think Martha is getting some last minute fittings done on
her dress and Daddy is probably playing golf.” She winked at him. “I think
you’re in the clear for a while, at least until tomorrow’s rehearsal dinner. I
told them you weren’t arriving until tomorrow morning.”

“You little devil, you. That’s why you’re my favorite kid
sister,” he said with a deep laugh before making a smooching sound against her
cheek making her giggle.

“Ha! I’m your only kid sister.” Caroline suddenly pulled
back and moved to his side. “Abby, come here! I want you to meet my big
brother, Digger, and his girlfriend, Elise.”

Mitch turned and his heart nearly exploded in his chest, his
knees threatened to buckle, and his hand instinctively went to the hidden glass
heart in his breast pocket. Standing in front of him was the girl of his dreams
who he’d begun to think might have been just that—until now.

~**~

Abby nearly dropped the two drinks she was carrying when she
came face to face with Mitch Braxton. No,
no, it can’t be. He was here, in Virginia, in Alexandria, in the same hotel
and even worse, he was no more than four feet away.

Holy crap!

Mitch Braxton was Caroline’s brother. No, it couldn’t be. Caroline
had never referred to him as anything but Digger. She always wondered how a guy
got a name like that, but never would she ever have imagined that Digger was the same man she’d spent an
amazing night with in a Vegas hotel suite making mad passionate love with, and
whom she’d hoped she’d never, ever, see again. The same man who her boss wanted
a ratified contract from to purchase his company. The same man who because he
hadn’t answered her many requests had caused her to put off her boss for nearly
two weeks. Hell, she’d even sneaked out of town to avoid Morgan and hoped he
wouldn’t track her to Virginia but now it had all caught up to her and the same
man she’d tried so hard to avoid was standing right in front of her. This
wedding weekend had just turned into the wedding from hell, and the beginning
of the end of her once promising law career.

“Digger, this is my best friend from college, Abby Matheson.
I can’t believe it’s taken so many years for you two to finally meet each
other,” Caroline exclaimed with so much excitement Abby thought her friend
might hyperventilate. “You’d already moved to California and then neither of
you ever seemed to both be with me at the same time, especially since you’re in
Chicago now.”

Nudging Abby’s side with her elbow, she beamed. “But here
you are now.”

Abby explored Mitch’s expression for any sign of
recognition, all the while hoping he wouldn’t remember her and yet wanting him
to remember every minute of his time with her. She handed Caroline a margarita
and transferred her own to her left hand before wiping her cold wet hand down the
side of her jeans.

“Hi, nice to finally meet you, Digger,” she said in a voice
she hoped sounded nonchalant yet friendly.

“Please, call me Mitch. Kitten face is the only who calls me
Digger and I’ve never really figured
out why,” he said with a tilt of his handsome head toward Caroline who was
standing there with a silly grin on her face.

Thank God, he doesn’t seem to
recognize me.

“Wait till you see the dress I picked for Abby, she’s going
to look gorgeous,” the bride-to-be said rocking back on her heels with
self-pride.

“I’m sure all of the ladies will look beautiful, Caro.
Speaking of which, where are Annabelle and Beth? Didn’t you say they were in
the wedding party too?”

Abby watched him glance around and when his gaze settled on
the table where the other members of the bridal party had taken seats, he took
hold of the arm belonging to the petite black-haired woman with more curves
than were decent and who’d stood quietly by during the most awkward
introductions ever made, and headed off in that direction.

Abby released a loud audible sigh of relief. He obviously
hadn’t recognized her. Why that suddenly disappointed her so much, she wasn’t
sure. Was I so unmemorable?

Shaking her head, she told herself it didn’t matter because relief
at knowing he hadn’t recognized her, was what she’d needed right now. Besides,
he was with a gorgeous woman and the way she was clinging to him told her all
she needed to know. What happened between them in Las Vegas was to stay in
Vegas, never to be revisited.

About the Author:

In addition to being an
author, Amy Valentini is a free-lance editor at Romancing Editorially and
romance reviewer right here at Unwrapping Romance as well as an Avon Addict—a
super reader group for Avon/HarperCollins. She has always loved reading,
working with words, and creating stories that make readers think, laugh, cry,
and escape the realities of everyday life. Writing romance keeps her belief in
true love alive.A graduate of Mary Washington College in
Virginia, now the University of Mary Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in
English, she has always had a dream of being a published author. Finally achieving
that goal with her debut romance, SEEKERS OF THE PAST, she hopes readers will
love her new series, the Seekers of the Past, a journey that will take the
reader into the past as well as the present…where the past meets the present
and love lives forever. Amy lives in Virginia where, in her spare time,
she reads and reviews romance, and misses taking walks with her favorite
guy—her Rottweiler, Marco.

My twin brother and I
need a new mother, though Papa insists he’ll never marry again. Must be nice,
brainy, and fond of cats . . .

Lady
Truelove may be London’s most famous advice columnist, but James St. Clair, the
Earl of Kenyon, knows his wild young sons need a tutor, not a new mother. They
need a man tough enough to make his hellions toe the line, and James is
determined to find one.

Miss
Amanda Leighton, former schoolteacher and governess, knows she has all the
qualifications to be a tutor. And while female tutors are unheard of, Amanda
isn’t about to lose the chance at her dream job because of pesky details like
that. If Lord Kenyon insists on hiring a man, then she has only one option . .
.

Jamie
isn’t sure what to make of his new employee, until he realizes the shocking
truth—beneath the ill-fitting suits, his boys’ tutor is a woman. An unconventional, outspoken, thoroughly
intriguing woman. Despite Amanda’s deception, he can’t dismiss her when his
boys are learning so much. Yet Jamie, too, is learning surprising lessons—about
desire, seduction, and passionate second chances . . .

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Excerpt:

Chapter 1

London, 1893

“And she’s off.”

Ten-year-old Owen St. Clair moved to stand
alongside his brother, propped his elbows on the windowsill, and rested his
chin in his hands as he watched their now-former nanny, a stern, black-clad
widow named Mrs. Hornsby, step into the hansom cab at the curb below. “We’re to
blame, you know.”

“Stuff.” Colin, older than his brother by
exactly eighteen minutes, shook his head, a decisive move that sent the unruly
strands of his carrot-red hair into further disarray. “It’s not our fault the
Hornsby doesn’t like frogs.”

“Well, we did put it in her hatbox.” Owen sighed
as the cab containing Mrs. Hornsby turned at the corner and vanished from view.
“Three nannies in six months. I think that’s torn it, Colin. Papa said one more
nanny and he’d send us to Harrow.”

At the ghastly prospect of being sent off to
school, the twins turned, sliding down to sit on the floor of the library,
their backs to the wall beneath the window as they contemplated what could well
be their immediate future.

“We can’t let Papa send us away,” Colin said at
last.

“He’d be lost without us. And what would happen
to Oscar?”

Both boys looked up at the gray tabby cat that
was sitting on the arm of a nearby chair, a cat they’d rescued from a tree in
the park two years earlier. Oscar was twitching his tail and blinking his green
eyes sleepily, seeming unaware of the dire future that lay ahead for his two
human friends.

“He’ll be lonely,” Owen said. “Papa’s away all
the time and the servants think he’s a nuisance because he doesn’t chase mice.
They don’t like him. They might forget to feed him. They might give him away.”

“We’ve got to do something to stop it.”

“Maybe we could take him with us? It’s probably
against the rules to have a cat at Harrow, but—”

“I’m not talking about Oscar.” Colin turned to
his brother. “I’m talking about us and being sent away. Oscar has nothing to
worry about if we can convince Papa to let us stay here.”

There was silence for a moment as both boys
considered the problem.

“Maybe,” Owen said at last, “we could find our
new nanny ourselves before Papa knows what’s happened. Someone we like. Someone
fun. If we do that, it’s a fate . . . fate—what’s the word?”

“Fait-accompli,” Colin supplied in carefully
enunciated, very British French.

“Maybe not, but the thing is . . .” Colin
paused, his freckled face scrunching up with distaste, as if he’d just eaten a
persimmon. “We don’t really want another nanny, do we?”

“No, but what other choice have we got?”

“Maybe we should find what we really want.”

“You mean . . .” Owen stared at his brother, his
expression one of both excitement and doubt. “You don’t mean a new mum?”

“Why not? We’ve been talking about it for ages.”

“I know, but—”

“Another nanny would be tiresome. School would
be worse.”

“That’s true, but—”

“Papa’s sure to marry again sometime,” Colin
interrupted.

“What if he picks someone who doesn’t like us?”

“We’d be off to Harrow like a shot. But still—”

“If we find Papa someone who likes us, she could
convince him to let us give school a miss altogether.”

“Possibly,” Owen said, his voice making it clear
he wasn’t optimistic about such a plan’s chances of success. “But Papa won’t
ever marry again. He’s said so thousands of times.”

“We’ll have to find him a girl who’s smashing
enough to make him change his mind. Someone pretty, of course.”

“Someone nice. Someone who won’t put pomade in
our hair and lecture us when our trousers get torn.”

Colin nodded. “She’ll have to be brainy, too,
like Mama was. And fond of cats.”

Oscar meowed, as if giving his endorsement of
this plan.

“There’s just one problem,” Owen pointed out.

“How do we find her?”

“That is the sticky wicket.”

Both boys fell silent again, thinking hard.

“We could put an ad in Auntie Clara’s paper,”
Owen said after a moment. “Men are always advertising for wives in the papers.”

“Gentlemen don’t, and Papa’s a gentleman. Wait—I
know!” Colin jumped to his feet and crossed the library to the writing desk. As
his brother watched, he opened the center drawer, retrieved a sheet of
notepaper, and closed the drawer again.

“What are you doing?” Owen asked curiously,
standing up and moving toward the desk as his brother reached for the pen that
was reposing in a silver holder on the inkstand.

“Who are you writing to?”

“Who does everyone write to when they want to
solve a problem?” Colin countered as he inked the nib of the pen. “I’m writing
to Lady Truelove.”

Those who wanted to be polite would have deemed
Amanda Leighton a woman of the world. Those not so inclined to civility would
have called her something else, something much less romantic.

Either way, facts were facts, and though by the
age of twenty-eight Amanda had lived in two different countries, earned a
university education, found a profession, taken a lover, and lost her
reputation, she had not gained the one experience society deemed worthwhile for
those of her sex. Amanda had never managed to acquire a husband. But then,
she’d never really been in search of one. Her mother had died when she was a
young girl, and she’d been raised by her father, a university professor who had
scorned the traditional, marriage-minded, downright silly scope of a girl’s
learning, and who had personally given Amanda a first-class education worthy of
any boy. More important, he’d taught her to take charge of her own destiny, not
by the use of feminine wiles, but by the employment of her intelligence.

About the Author:

LAURA LEE
GUHRKE spent seven years in advertising, had a successful catering business,
and managed a construction company before she decided writing novels was more
fun. A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Laura has penned over
twenty historical romances. Her books have received many award nominations, and
she is the recipient of romance fiction’s highest honor: the Romance Writers of
America RITA Award. She lives in the Northwest with her husband (or, as she
calls him, her very own romance hero), along with two diva cats and a Golden
Retriever happy to be their slave. Laura loves hearing from readers, and you
can contact her via her website.

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